Egypt’s state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has extended the deadline for its 2026 international licensing round following requests from interested companies, the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG) said on November 1.

The new deadline for bid submissions is noon Cairo time on December 14, EUG said.

The extension applies to EGPC’s international bid round, which covers six blocks. The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company’s (EGAS) separate bid round, covering eight blocks, has also been extended to December 14.

On August 11, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources launched the two international bid rounds, offering 14 oil and natural gas exploration blocks to Egyptian and international companies as part of efforts to attract investment and boost domestic production.